The Moral Nation

As a brutal terror war rages on Israel’s doorstep, a fascinating morality tale is playing out. Rarely in history has a country fought a complex and sophisticated propaganda war while also engaging a vicious enemy on the battlefield.

So it is that as Operation Protective Edge unfolds, Israel is also working overtime via media sources — including social media — to virtually justify its bid to render Hamas toothless. Sadly, many international voices wait for any opportunity to bash Israel, and the civilian casualties caused by the terrorists’ inhuman tactics make Israel appear like a disproportionate fiend.

This operation to bring quiet to Israel and cease rocket attacks will come to an end, and few doubt Israel’s ability to win, even decisively. The question of the hour is how public opinion will play out.

The simple fact is that the majority of people do not know much about Israel, save for the negative portrayals media types like to present. The reality of course is quite different.

That makes the work of Untold News very important. It’s not a stretch to say Marcella Rosen’s “light-bulb” idea is a critical component in Israel’s public relations operation. An independent group based in New York, Untold News features positive stories about Israel, focusing on the Jewish state’s astonishing inventions and technologies, all of which improve the quality of life for people the world over.

As Rosen discovered several years ago, Israeli innovation in the areas of medicine, agriculture, and high-tech not only gave the tiny country a qualitative edge over others — it also became part of the fabric of other cultures. After all, would we have cellphones if not for Israel? Not likely.

“While everyone has been focused on the country’s decades of military conflicts, Israel has quietly become the most energetic, ambitious, go-go incubator of entrepreneurialism and invention the planet has ever seen,” Rosen says.

“I could give you statistics: Israel is home to more start-ups, inventions and patents than the entirety of the EU; Israel attracts easily twice as much venture capital per capita as the next nearest recipient (the USA).

“Israel’s energy and inventiveness and output matter. From the hospital to the farm, from outer space to your kitchen, Israel’s life-saving, life-giving, life-enhancing creations make a positive difference every day in your life, in the lives of people you care about and in the lives of people you’ll never meet.”

As a Christian supporter of Israel, I often get mired in the darker discussions about Israel, and in my advocacy for the Jewish state, it is often about “making the case” in terms of Israel’s right to self-defense. Very frankly, the work that Marcella and her team at Untold News are doing makes it easier for the rest of us to remind people that Israel is not only not a pariah, but in fact the country is a lifeline for many other nations.

Take for example the story of a Palestinian man near death, who received a last-minute liver transplant in an Israeli hospital.

Or the “aquaculture” fish farming innovations that can feed vast numbers of people.

Or the desalination techniques that are revolutionizing the distribution of fresh water to thirsty people and crops.

All these stories and more, by the way, are available in Rosen’s book, Tiny Dynamo, which is packed with many such stories of Israeli innovation.

All the Christian Zionists I know are always eager to defend Israel, the land of moral people who have a right to live in peace and safety. The truth is, since most people don’t have a genuine perspective about Israel, we can say that there are millions of opportunities to set the record straight.

Untold News helps us do that, which is why they are an indispensable source of information for me.